Severe Weather

Man arrested following Milwaukee house fire

WISN 12 News has learned a Milwaukee house fire that put two families out into the cold is being investigated as arson and a person has been arrested.

Fire had already gutted much of the home at Fiuwhere Phyllis Edmond's granddaughter lived late Thursday by the time Edmond arrived.

"She just moved into the house, so she don't have anything for her or her baby," said Phyllis Edmond, the victim's grandmother.

Edmond told investigators and WISN 12 News that her granddaughter's boyfriend, who also lived in the home, had been threatening to burn it.

The granddaughter and Edmond's 3-year-old great-granddaughter were not home when the fire started.

"She had just broken up with her boyfriend. She asked him to leave, which he was supposed to be gone. The landlord called us and told us the house was on fire. He had been calling her all day threatening to set the house on fire, and he did," Edmond said.

The fire took out the top floor and attics, and thoughts that perhaps the ground floor could be salvaged were ended Friday when the city neighborhood services division condemned the building.

Police confirmed that a 21-year-old man who lived in the home has been arrested on suspicion of arson.

No one was hurt, but the two families in the duplex have been forced out of their homes.

That is something that cuts deep for Edmond, who works for a company that helps families rebuild after fires.

"It's not a good feeling, and I can sympathize with the families when they come in when they lost loved ones, and they lost their property, and have nobody to turn to," Edmond said.

The Red Cross and other agencies were called in to help the families relocate.

The home next door to the fire also suffered about $15,000 in damage.

Copyright 2013 byWISN.comAll rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.